# So, your superhero friend just obliterated India... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 21, 2016, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-superhero-friend-just-obliterated-india/743726 "2016-01-21T00:09:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-superhero-friend-just-obliterated-india/743726/1 "2016-01-21T00:09:25Z")
You have a friend called Indira. She’s an older woman (50s+) of Indian (Dalit) ancestry. Her family have long since left home and her husband died a year or so ago - you went to the funeral. You have figured out that she has a second life as a masked superhero of modest powers, of local but not national fame, but firmly on the side of the good guys. You do not know if she knows that you know. You met her a few days ago and she seemed upset but would not be drawn. Today, she appears in costume flying over India, makes a short speech to a TV helicopter which is heard throughout the land saying that they have wronged her and all are judged guilty. And you find out that her powers are not so modest after all. Because she has the power of directed orbital bombardment. Shortly thereafter, all of India is a cratered wasteland, with over a billion dead. A local hero who rises to stop her is swatted aside. You see this live on TV, thanks to the helicopter. Now it’s a few hours later. The phone rings. Caller ID says it’s her. What do you do? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-superhero-friend-just-obliterated-india/743726/2 "2016-01-21T00:23:41Z")
Whatever she wants. She has the power to wipe a subcontinent off the face of the Earth. I don’t want to be the one who pissed her off by not taking her call, and she vaporizes, say, Kansas out of spite. ---
**Author:** ![CCitizen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@CCitizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CCitizen)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-superhero-friend-just-obliterated-india/743726/3 "2016-01-21T00:33:30Z")
I do not think people from India will appreciate Americans joking about genocide of their country. Especially given the fact that English imperialism has cost India enormous losses. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-superhero-friend-just-obliterated-india/743726/4 "2016-01-21T00:40:04Z")
I chew her the hell out. I condemn her to her face. I explain how very contemptuous I am of anyone who would misuse their powers this badly. I’d tell her to go to hell and never talk to me again. I guess, after that, I’d buy war bonds, or whatever it takes to support destroying her. After that, I suppose I’ll be worked to death in her salt mines, as she sets herself up as queen dictator of earth. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-superhero-friend-just-obliterated-india/743726/5 "2016-01-21T00:48:47Z")
> [@CCitizen](#): > > I do not think people from India will appreciate Americans joking about genocide of their country. Especially given the fact that English imperialism has cost India enormous losses. Oh, please. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-superhero-friend-just-obliterated-india/743726/6 "2016-01-21T02:03:52Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > What do you do? Friendship means nothing in the face of such monstrous evil. I take the call and do whatever I can during the course of it to either gain information or manipulate her so that she can be captured or killed. If this involves bald-faced lying so she believes that I’m still her friend, I will do so. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-superhero-friend-just-obliterated-india/743726/7 "2016-01-21T02:10:43Z")
My phone likely does not work, thanks to the overload of the circuits in question as society worldwide melts down. You realize that there will be a substantial nuclear winter effect from all of that? As in the rest of the world will soon follow India on the road to oblivion… ---
**Author:** ![CCitizen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@CCitizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CCitizen)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-superhero-friend-just-obliterated-india/743726/8 "2016-01-21T02:29:54Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Oh, please. Some people believe that bad words or ideas bring bad karma. ---
**Author:** ![nani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58956e/32.png) [@nani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nani)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-superhero-friend-just-obliterated-india/743726/9 "2016-01-21T02:35:44Z")
I’d probably be in shock so I would end up asking her something like why she decided to spare/obliterate Kashmir. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-superhero-friend-just-obliterated-india/743726/10 "2016-01-21T02:50:42Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Now it’s a few hours later. The phone rings. Caller ID says it’s her. What do you do? I pick up the phone and ask if she wants to go get pancakes as she must be really tired after that work-out and she probably needs to carb up. > [@CCitizen](#): > > I do not think people from India will appreciate Americans joking about genocide of their country. Especially given the fact that English imperialism has cost India enormous losses. That was England not the Good Ol’ US of A. > [@CCitizen](#): > > Some people believe that bad words or ideas bring bad karma. Some people don’t believe in karma or even karma karma chameleons. ---
**Author:** ![CCitizen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@CCitizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CCitizen)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-superhero-friend-just-obliterated-india/743726/11 "2016-01-21T02:52:44Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > Some people don’t believe in karma or even karma karma chameleons. Most people in India believe in karma. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-superhero-friend-just-obliterated-india/743726/12 "2016-01-21T02:59:26Z")
That I was aware of, but do they believe in karma karma karma karma karma chameleons? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-superhero-friend-just-obliterated-india/743726/13 "2016-01-21T03:19:38Z")
> [@CCitizen](#): > > Most people in India believe in karma. But they’re all dead now, so that’s not an issue anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-superhero-friend-just-obliterated-india/743726/14 "2016-01-21T04:49:03Z")
> [@CCitizen](#): > > Some people believe that bad words or ideas bring bad karma. Oh sure, now people believe in karma. But where were they when _My Name is Earl_ got cancelled? ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-superhero-friend-just-obliterated-india/743726/15 "2016-01-21T05:46:05Z")
Wasn’t India destroyed in such a way in _Footfall_? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-superhero-friend-just-obliterated-india/743726/16 "2016-01-21T05:52:11Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Oh sure, now people believe in karma. But where were they when _My Name is Earl_ got cancelled? /winthread ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-superhero-friend-just-obliterated-india/743726/17 "2016-01-21T06:28:28Z")
> [@CCitizen](#): > > I do not think people from India will appreciate Americans joking about genocide of their country. Especially given the fact that English imperialism has cost India enormous losses. > [@CCitizen](#): > > Some people believe that bad words or ideas bring bad karma. I hereby propose that we give **CCitizen** a new name: “the Bloodist.” ---
**Author:** ![StrangeBird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e480ec/32.png) [@StrangeBird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StrangeBird)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-superhero-friend-just-obliterated-india/743726/18 "2016-01-21T08:27:34Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > That I was aware of, but do they believe in karma karma karma karma karma chameleons? Their belief comes and goes. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-superhero-friend-just-obliterated-india/743726/19 "2016-01-21T09:16:48Z")
I take the call. This is comic book stuff - who knows, maybe the entire population of India had been taken over by Skrulls…least I can do is listen to an explanation. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-superhero-friend-just-obliterated-india/743726/20 "2016-01-21T09:52:29Z")
“Idiot, I said north of the Himalayas, not south!” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-superhero-friend-just-obliterated-india/743726.md?page=2)